


sold

by ndnickerson



Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Future Fic, Human Trafficking, Past Relationship(s), Reunion Sex, Reunions, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-15 23:20:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15423867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/pseuds/ndnickerson
Summary: Nancy is caught by a group of human traffickers. She has one chance to get away...





	sold

Nancy had struggled against the cuffs until her wrists were raw and bleeding. Then one of her captors had been inspecting the merchandise, and the last thing she could remember was the impact of the butt of his gun against her scalp. Her hair would hide the bruise. He wouldn't want a potential buyer to see it and dismiss her as damaged. Not like her wrists already marked her.

She had to get out of here. Had to. With each mile the truck traveled, her panic grew.

The truck's cargo area was a sea of bodies, almost all shrouded in darkness, save where the light came through the weathered, beaten metal sides. Even that was faint, and the various holes and tears let in a continual blast of cold air.

Once Nancy had been caught and knocked out, someone had stripped her clothes off. Her purse, her ID, her phone, were likely all where she had fallen. She wore a simple rough-weave dress, sleeveless, barely hitting her knees—and nothing else. From what she could tell, all the girls around her were dressed the same way, some uniform provided to the women who were about to be sold.

That was why she had been tracking the group, after all. And it was the perfect way for them to be rid of her.

While Nancy had faith in her abilities and her resourcefulness, she had done her research. Many of the women sold were forced to take drugs that kept them sedated, pliant and compliant, until they were addicted. The drugs would dull her senses and leave her slow. She had to do everything she could to make sure that didn't happen. She had to get back, to somehow get out of this mess.

But she knew she was concussed from being struck so many times. She was tired and aching, and it was hard to focus on anything for long. She was chained to a long row of girls, and she wasn't even sure whether they were all connected in one massive chain or not. Some women were moaning loudly or praying. Some seemed shell-shocked. Some had sunk into unconsciousness. And many of them didn't seem to speak English. She'd never be able to get them all to coordinate some attack.

She was so cold, but then their captors didn't really seem to care. They would make a handsome profit even if some of their merchandise arrived dead.

She didn't know how much time had passed when the truck jerked to a stop, shaking her from her stupor. She hadn't eaten in so long that her stomach just ached dully, and her mouth was painfully dry. If anything, the night had grown colder. The cargo door rose and a group of solidly-built men with guns and cold eyes began to herd them off the truck, toward a large building that looked like a warehouse. The dirt parking lot was packed with cars and vans. As the captive women walked and stumbled, force-marched over the frozen ground, some of them fell and were immediately helped back to their feet by the women around them. The freezing air carried drifts of snowflakes that felt like tiny cold needles against Nancy's skin, and she tipped her head back and caught a few on her tongue, trying to ignore the awful throbbing in her head and the tingling numbness the wind left in all her exposed skin. The snow had even begun to gather in the contours of the metal roof of the warehouse, a trace of it caught in the dead winter grass.

_Have to get out of here._ As hard as she tried, though, Nancy couldn't figure out a way. She could see a perimeter of men set up, facing out, guns up. From what she could see, the land around the building was flat, and bare for miles around. Any attempt to attack the building would be seen from miles away.

_Dad_. Nancy pressed her lips hard together to keep from crying. Would she ever see him again? God...

She and the other women were herded into the building. Men were already waiting there, men with calculating eyes, stone-grim faces; others were joking with each other, their eyes bright with possibility, terrible possibility. Some of the women were white, less than half. The pale, weak light filtering through the heavy clouds played over the planes of defeated faces, defiant ones, terrified ones.

Once they were inside, the men started to inspect the women before the bidding began, and Nancy kept her head down in shame as her hands clenched into fists. They touched the hem of her short, inadequate dress, muttering, chuckling. If she could have, Nancy would have punched every one of them.

One man's hands were gentler, but Nancy couldn't bring herself to look up, not until he hooked a finger under her chin and brought her face up. Even then, she kept her eyes low, her muscles tight.

She wanted them all dead. All of them.

She followed enough of the language to know what was happening next, even when she tried to tune it out. This part didn't matter. Her next step had to be getting away from whoever bought her before she could be sedated, and... worse.

As each woman was brought forward, she was uncuffed from the rest, and Nancy kept a lookout. Her captors had planned for this, though. A metal rail bolted into the floor allowed them to re-cuff the remaining women to something that wouldn't move, and the one brought forward had her hands zip-tied behind her back. When Nancy saw that, her heart sank all over again.

If she appeared docile, detached, maybe she could fool whoever bought her into thinking she wouldn't fight. It was a slim chance, but it was the best she could manage.

When she was uncuffed, her damaged wrists zip-tied so tight she winced and almost cried out in pain, and brought forward, she kept her steps stumbling and awkward, and it barely took any acting on her part. She was freezing, and her injuries weren't helping. Only desperation seemed to be keeping her conscious.

A bidding war broke out over her. Nancy kept her head down, concentrating on her breathing, on staying upright, on conserving what little strength she had left. Once she had been purchased, Nancy was shoved toward a table set up in the corner. Where she'd be paid for, where the man who had purchased her would take ownership.

Maybe he was here to purchase several women, and he would leave her alone, give her a chance to get away. Her heart beat hard at the thought. She had no idea where she would go for shelter, what she would do, but at least it was a chance.

Her hopes were short-lived, though. After the quick transaction, the man—she hadn't even been able to bring herself to look at him—gripped her upper arm and led her toward the exit, and he didn't leave her alone in a car. In fact, as soon as they were outside, he stopped and took off his coat, draping it over her shoulders.

"Are you all right? You must be freezing."

Nancy wasn't sure what to say, so she didn't say anything. The man's warmth still clung to his coat, and even as her skin crawled, she couldn't help the momentary relief that swept over her at the garment. She was just so cold and tired.

He guided her toward a sleek black van, and by the time they reached it, her feet were beyond numb. She wanted to make a run for it, before he could put her into his vehicle, but she couldn't even stay upright without his hand on her arm.

_I'm going to die here_. Tears stung in her eyes.

The van was plush on the inside. No one else was waiting for them there. The man reached for her wrists and cut off the zip-tie before helping her into the passenger seat. Then he rushed around to the driver's side, and Nancy willed herself to do anything at all before he made it into the van—but then it was too late.

"Your father sent me," the man said, and Nancy jerked her head up, gazing at him with tears in her eyes. "We have to get out of here. Some agents are on the way to break this up, but I'm gonna get you somewhere safe. I'm taking you home."

Nancy gasped in a breath. "He... home?" she repeated, hardly able to believe it.

The man nodded. "Here. I know you have to be cold. I'll turn the heat up."

He was familiar. He was...

Overwhelmed, unable to muster any strength, Nancy slumped in her seat and passed out.

\--

Fluorescent lights.

_Ned._ She—how? She hadn't seen Ned in almost a year. He had practically dropped off the face of the earth. She had to have hallucinated all this. But the scent of antiseptic stung her nose, and she was in someone's arms, and she could hear the chirping of machines, monitors, the hush of voices.

Nancy closed her eyes against the bright lights, moaning softly.

"Hey. Almost there. Just need to get you checked out. Hang on, okay?"

She moaned softly again. Ned's voice, so she was still out of her mind. She felt so exhausted, but that panic hadn't entirely faded. She didn't know where she was, and she was still mostly naked, still cold. Still disoriented. And she was hallucinating Ned.

"Her wrists—and I think she's been hurt. She's disoriented. Maybe frostbite. She was barefoot outside."

Half the words didn't make sense. Nancy was lowered into a wheelchair and reached up to bury her face in her hands, her head aching. She wanted a blanket. She wanted to sleep and wake up where her father was. Thinking about Ned was making her heart ache.

She wasn't sure how much time passed, but the man part of her mind had somehow decided was Ned asked for her sizes, and said he would be right back. She told a nurse that she had been hit in the head twice, that nothing was making sense. She was put under a thin blanket that wasn't quite warm enough, on a narrow hospital bed, and when no one was asking her questions, she drifted off.

Then she felt a warm hand on her arm, and she opened her eyes again. At least the room was dim enough to keep her throbbing head from aching any more. She groaned when she saw Ned again.

This had to be a dream. Some man had put her in a van and now she was dreaming.

He smiled at her, gently. "I brought some clothes, warm ones. You didn't have anything with you, did you?"

She shook her head. "No," she mumbled, and her voice was rusty.

She drifted off again. It was too hard to keep her eyes open. She was dimly aware that maybe someone had run an IV, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd had anything to eat or drink. Everything had blurred together after her abduction.

She woke again, and Ned was still there. What did it mean, she wondered, that her subconscious was hung up on him, casting him as the white knight come galloping in to save her. "Are you real?" she whispered.

Ned's face fell slightly, but he nodded. "Yeah, I'm real. I talked to your dad. He's very relieved that you're on the way home. We'll stop and rest for a little while, okay?"

She tried to move, and found that her body wasn't nearly as cooperative as it usually was. "Where have you been?"

He searched her eyes. "We can talk about it, but not here. How are you feeling? The doctor said he's going to come by and check on you in about an hour, and if you're doing better, he'll release you."

"Okay."

He watched her for another minute. "Just relax, get some more sleep," he said. "I'll be here."

She reached out and he laced his fingers through hers. "You're okay," he whispered.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she whispered, just before she fell asleep again.

\--

Ned had bought her clothes to wear, even down to underwear and a heavy coat. He had snacks, and a warm blanket in the car. When he gestured for her to lie down across the back seats, she gave in willingly. After the terror of her abduction, she felt oddly fragile, as though she had used up all her strength on staying conscious.

Where had Ned been, all this time? She had received one short message from him, shortly after he had begun his new job, and then—nothing. And was he _back_ now, or was this just temporary? Would he drop her off at her father's house and vanish again?

"Hey," he murmured.

The van was stopped. The sky was beginning to lighten. Her side felt numb from the way she had slept. She blinked up at Ned and saw him smile.

"So I checked us in. I can't leave you alone, but the room has two beds. Okay? Can you walk? Or I can carry you."

"I think I can walk," she said slowly. She winced as she stretched a little and started to sit up.

"Are you hungry?"

"Mmm. I don't know."

"Well, we can order some room service. I think they have breakfast in the lobby; I can go get us something."

He'd thought of almost everything. He escorted her into the room, and lined up toiletries on either side of the sink. She settled onto the bed farther from the shaded window and stifled a huge yawn, toeing out of her shoes.

"Uh—I didn't think of pajamas. I can let you borrow one of my shirts?"

"Okay," she murmured. It had been a while since she had worn one of his shirts to bed. Even in her state of exhaustion, that still made her heart skip a beat.

The heating unit in the corner was rumbling, working hard to warm their small room. Still, she shivered as she slid off her pants; she almost reconsidered taking any of her clothes off. When Ned handed her one of his shirts, their gazes met and locked for a moment.

Ned cleared his throat slightly, managing to avert his gaze a little. "You look like you're feeling better."

"I think I am. Maybe. Are you going to be sleeping?"

He nodded. "I drove for most of two days to get to you," he said. "And even then I almost missed it..."

She wrapped her fingers around his hand. "But you didn't," she murmured. "I thought I would die there..."

He couldn't even muster a reassuring smile. They both knew she wasn't exaggerating. Whatever would have been left of her life, if she had been sold to anyone else... she didn't want to think about it.

He brought his other hand up and stroked her cheek gently. "We both need some rest," he murmured. "I'll have to wake you up every now and then, make sure you're all right."

She nodded, stifling a yawn. "I remember," she murmured. When she began to change into the shirt he had given her, he turned away, his cheeks coloring slightly.

So he was still attracted to her. Otherwise he wouldn't have cared.

She covered herself carefully, practically up to her nose, and fell asleep almost immediately.

\--

A bright sliver of light was showing at the edge of the blackout curtains, the air conditioning unit rumbling underneath them, when Nancy woke, feeling like her head was thick. Ned had murmured her name a few times, checking on her, and she had fallen asleep again immediately after, but during one of those times she had chugged an entire bottle of water. After trying to ignore it, she gave in and pushed the covers back.

She left the door to the bathroom open, and she shivered in Ned's thin t-shirt as she walked back into the dark bedroom. Despite all the covers on her bed, she was freezing, and she looked over at the other bed, where she could see Ned under the blankets.

He was so warm, in bed. She could remember his hands, the brush of his lips, the feel of his knee sliding between her legs...

Nancy didn't let herself think too much about it. She walked over to Ned's bed and pulled back the covers, sliding beneath. He was just as warm as he had always been, and she moved close to him without touching him, just feeling his heat radiate against her. Soon she was asleep again, but at least this time she didn't feel the same anxiety that had seemed to haunt her whenever she closed her eyes.

"Mmm. Nan?"

"Yeah," she whispered, flushing a little. He hadn't invited her into his bed, hadn't suggested it. She thought that time had passed, that she had been asleep a little while, but she wasn't sure.

"You okay?"

"I was cold," she murmured.

"Oh. Sorry." Ned slid his arm over her and moved closer to her, and she sighed softly as she nestled against him. "Better?"

"Yes," she murmured.

By the time they were ready to get out of bed for the day, the sun was high in the sky and Nancy was famished, but at least her head felt a little clearer. He offered her the shower first, and while she considered asking him to join her for a split second, she decided not to. She was afraid he might refuse, and that would be humiliating.

But while she was in the shower, she found herself thinking about him, remembering. As she washed the soap lather from her skin, the dust and dirt and traces of her abduction, she thought of Ned in the next room and became more aroused than she would have thought possible, given everything else she had been through in the past few days. He was back, and she didn't know for how long; he was with her...

And she wanted him. She had never stopped wanting him.

The hair dryer took a while, and once her hair was mostly dry, she surveyed what Ned had bought for her while he took his own turn in the shower. He hadn't bought any makeup, and she didn't really mind, although when she glanced at her reflection she was dismayed by what she saw. Pale face, so pale that the scattering of freckles she had year-round stood out in stark contrast. Her scalp was tender from bruising, and every time the heat had touched it as she dried her hair, she had winced away. She even looked a little thinner.

Ned came out of the bathroom behind her, his dark hair still a little damp, a towel slung around his waist, and her gaze traveled from his muscular torso up to his dark eyes. Their eyes locked again, and she remembered a time when he would have looped his arm around her waist and drawn her to him, brushed his lips against her neck...

She smiled a little unsteadily, and Ned returned it. "Hey," he murmured, his voice deep.

"Hey," she replied, then glanced back down.

They went to a restaurant with breakfast on the menu all day, and after they had placed their orders and received their drinks, Nancy gazed at Ned across the table again. "So," she started. "Where have you been?"

He took a long sip of his water and smiled slightly. Apparently he had binged on so many coffees and energy drinks while following her that he couldn't stand the idea of more right now. "You know where I've been," he replied. "I took that job in Beijing."

"And then no one heard from you."

"Well, I was able to contact my parents a few times, but that was it." He shifted in his seat, unrolling his silverware. "I'd been at my job about a week when I was approached by some government agents."

Nancy sat forward, her irritation evaporating as her curiosity grew. "Oh?"

The business that had hired Ned was under investigation, and the agents had asked him to gather information for them. Initially he had been suspicious, unconvinced that he should do that kind of work, but the proof they had shown him, and what he had seen when he had begun investigating, that had been enough to convince him.

But the company he was working for wouldn't be pleased to find out what he was doing, and worse than that, he had heard stories about what happened when previous employees had done what he was doing. It had been safer for him to, in effect, cut off ties with people back home, to keep them out of danger. And he had known that once the investigation was complete on his end, once the agents had what they needed, he would be leaving. He would be able to see his family and friends, the people he loved, again.

"Does that—are you done now? Is it over?"

Ned nodded. "I tried to call you, and your father answered the phone; he was frantic. Before I knew what I was doing, I told him I'd go after you."

She raised her eyebrows. "Did you... not want to?"

A brief smile flashed on his face. "I didn't mean it like that. It was just... I would always have come after you. I guess it's like my heart processed it before my head did."

And she was warmed by the words, by the tentative look in his eyes. She just gazed at him, aching to touch him.

Ned cleared his throat slightly. "Are you okay, though?"

Her smile faded, and she glanced down at the table between them. "I will be," she murmured. "I thought I was going to die there. I haven't been that scared in a long time."

His eyes grew tender, soft. "I was so afraid I wouldn't make it in time," he admitted. "I would have done anything to make sure you were safe. And if I'd gotten there too late, I would have found whoever—took you, and I would have gotten you back."

She knew he couldn't promise that, even if he believed it with all of his being, but it warmed her anyway. "I thought no one knew where I was," she admitted. "I thought it was all up to me, and I... it was so hard to think..."

"The doctor said you had a concussion."

She nodded, and told him about what had happened: how she had been tracking the people she thought were responsible for a week, gathering evidence, locating suspects. When she had found out too much and popped up on their radar, they had evidently decided she was too dangerous to ignore.

On the way back to the hotel, after their meal, Ned glanced over at her. "We can get in a few more hundred miles today, if you feel up to it," he said. "But the last thing I want to do is put any stress on you. What do you think?"

"We can't make it back tonight, can we."

Ned shook his head. "If we get a move on tonight, we can stay over somewhere else and probably make it back tomorrow."

She nodded. "So let's do that."

They packed up, restocking at a local store, and Nancy bought a few of the things Ned had forgotten, things she was so used to having that she felt naked without them: hair elastics, a small purse she could carry with her. At least she wasn't spending Ned's money, she reflected at the checkout. Her father was bankrolling all this, and he would understand.

She couldn't drive, thanks to her absent driver's license, and though she felt pretty alert when they finally got on the road, slowly she began to drift to sleep again. She knew it was the best treatment for a concussion, to get lots of rest, but she still didn't like it. When Ned suggested that she spread out in the more comfortable backseat again and try to get some rest, she didn't want to do it, but her body did. It wasn't like she even had a cell phone to play any puzzle games on, or a book of logic problems to challenge her—or that the doctor would have allowed it.

She was feeling better, though. She couldn't really imagine feeling worse than she had.

She wanted to stay awake and talk to him. She wanted to hear all about what he had been doing for the past year. She wanted to see more of his smiles, more of that tenderness in his eyes.

When she woke, the sky was dark again. "I'll be right back," she dimly registered Ned saying; when he opened the driver's side door, a blast of cold air swept over her, and she fought her impulse to burrow under the blanket against it. Instead, she slowly began to push herself up, to smooth down her undoubtedly tangled hair.

Ned quickly slid back into the car once he had checked in, then turned to look at her. "I can drop you off in the room and pick up some food, if you want," he said. "I doubt you want to go out."

She considered. "If you give me a few minutes to wake up and get ready, we can go out," she said. Then she glanced down at her clothes. "I mean..."

"We'll go somewhere casual," he promised. "Sorry that I didn't pick out anything nicer for you to wear. I just wanted you to be comfortable."

"And I am. Thanks." She smiled and made a mental note to immediately brush her teeth.

The hotel's clerk had apparently suggested a nearby Mexican restaurant, and Nancy was relieved that her—well, calling her clothing "casual" was generous, but she didn't stick out among the restaurant's patrons. Even though it was a little later than the usual dinner hour, the place was still packed with people, laughter and bright colors and the constant motion of waiters and waitresses circulating among the tables. They were seated almost immediately, in a corner booth, and no one around them seemed to notice them. Ned wore a pair of jeans and a dark long-sleeved shirt under his leather jacket, and Nancy found it impossible to pull her gaze away from him. He looked gorgeous, and she had been starved for him. Being apart so long, feeling hurt and confused when she hadn't heard from him... it was remarkable, how quickly that had faded. Now she was only a little jealous that she hadn't been able to help with what he had been doing.

Nancy had just finished her first chip dipped in salsa when Ned's cell phone rang. After a few words, a smile, he offered it to Nancy. "Your father," he explained.

"Hello?" Nancy said, viscerally missing her cell phone.

"Nancy," her father sighed. "I'm so glad you're okay. I tried calling a few times, but you've been resting."

"Yeah, I've been sleeping a lot. Concussion. But I'm fine," she assured him. "Thank you so much... I don't know what I would have done if Ned hadn't shown up."

"I was able to call some people and have agents sent too, but they showed up after Ned did." He sighed. "You're sure you're okay? I was so worried about you."

_As well he should have been._ "I'm okay. It'll be a relief to get back home, though. Ned thinks we should be there tomorrow."

Their meal was good, and Ned had apparently decided that they would just talk about light, easy things. When they laughed, when she saw the affection in his eyes, Nancy felt warm all over again. When he said something and touched her hand, the feel of his fingertips, the delight of the sensation, radiated all the way up her arm, spreading through her chest.

They would be alone tonight, alone in a hotel room together. It wasn't that they couldn't be alone once they were back, but at least, tonight... tonight, they were still in this strange pocket of unreality, away from life. A part of her, a small part, was quietly afraid that once they were back in Illinois, he would suddenly vanish again as though he had never returned. All over again, she would be alone, filling her time, trying to pretend she could be whole.

Maybe it was that slight fuzziness in her head talking. But she didn't want to believe she was imagining the pull between them.

In the room, she prepared for bed first, brushing her teeth again, combing her hair. While Ned was in the bathroom, she put on the nightgown she had bought earlier. It was simple, basically a long camisole, but she took off her bra and waited for him, sitting at the edge of the bed, hoping desperately that he wouldn't take one look at her and try to let her down easy.

He brushed his teeth, then turned toward the beds. "I know you're probably not... tired..." he began, but trailed off when he saw her, his dark eyes lingering on her gown.

She gave him a small smile. "I'm not," she replied softly.

With some apparent effort, he dragged his gaze back up to her face. His mouth opened again, but all that came out was a soft sigh as he took a few steps toward her.

Nancy stood, although she was trembling slightly inside. "I've missed you so much," she said softly. "I'm sorry that I—last night, your bed... I didn't mean anything by it."

"But you seem to mean something now," he commented just as quietly, taking another few steps toward her. "Unless I'm entirely misreading this."

She closed the distance between them, reaching up and sliding her arms up over his shoulders, watching his face the entire time for any apology or shuttering, relaxing when she didn't see either. "Did you miss me?" she murmured.

He nodded. "Every day. Every day I wondered how I'd ended up doing what I was doing, without you."

"And that was all?"

He smiled, leaning down a little. "No, that definitely wasn't all."

At the first brush of his lips against hers, Nancy moaned softly. His warm, strong arms slid around her waist, holding her against him as he kissed her again, again, and she slid her hand into his dark hair. When he began to back her toward the bed, she stumbled slightly and he pulled back.

"Are you all right? Feeling okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry." Nancy blushed. "I'm feeling okay. I don't want to stop."

He searched her eyes, bringing a hand up to cup and stroke her cheek, then nodded. "Tell me if you do, though, okay? I know you've been through a lot."

"I will," she said, before reaching for him again.

He pulled back the covers, turned on the bedside lamp, and turned off the overhead before joining her in bed. She was shivering a little, more in anticipation than anything else. He had taken off his thin undershirt and was wearing only boxers, and he stretched out on his side, placing his warm palm over her belly. She gazed into his dark eyes, not moving.

"Sweetheart," he whispered, and when his hand moved in a slow sweep over her belly, she shivered again. "I missed you so much. I missed this so much."

She smiled; she couldn't help it. "I didn't know what I did to drive you away," she murmured. "Did I?"

He shook his head. "You were great," he said. "But I thought you might be mad at me... and I wouldn't have blamed you."

She reached up and drew him down to her, and the kiss he gave her left her boneless, almost aching with need for him. She drew her knee up, and when she moaned he slid his knee between hers, his gaze on her face, their lips wet from their kiss.

"Yes," she whispered. "Please."

She felt shy, after so long apart, and his steady, warm gaze on her made her feel even more self-conscious. He slid her gown up until her belly was bared, then leaned down to kiss her neck, her shoulder. She slid her arms around him, and he made a soft pleased sound as she gently traced her fingernails against his spine. His hand slid under her gown and he cupped her breast, tracing his thumb over her nipple, and she shivered.

"I love you," he whispered. "I always have."

"And I've always loved you," she whispered, her spine arching, her hips angling for him. "You feel so good..."

When she ran her palms down his sides, to the elastic band of his underwear, he made a soft sound and moved to take them off. As he did, Nancy sat up, pulling her nightgown over her head. She considered pulling her panties off too, but she loved it when Ned did that, so she was still wearing them when Ned moved on top of her again. Just that thin layer of cotton between them, feeling the hard length of him between her thighs, made her shiver happily.

"Cold? Or just..."

"Excited," she murmured. Ned was so warm, and she loved the feel of him against her. "It's been a while."

Ned brushed his lips against her neck, then moved back to look into her face, his eyes alight and vulnerable. "Surely you dated after I left."

She shook her head. "I went on a few dates, usually to feel out suspects, but no one serious. No one like you."

She saw him relax. He really had thought that she would see other people, and she supposed she couldn't blame him. 

"And you?"

His smile became crooked. "Just with suspects," he said. "Nothing serious. And I missed you so much."

He moved against her deliberately, and another flush of heat touched her cheeks and chest. "As though it could be this way with anyone else," she whispered.

He nodded. "It could never be like this with anyone else," he said.

She moaned softly when he lowered himself to her, when he cupped and stroked her breasts. She closed her eyes, sliding her legs around his waist, holding him to her. The feel of his breath, his lips, against her neck made her tingle.

"Can I..." He slid his palm down to her panties.

"Yes," she whispered, angling her hips to help him as he slid them off, leaving her naked. He returned to her and she arched again, sighing as his erection came in contact with her.

"So wet," he whispered, deliberately rubbing against her as she folded her legs around him again. "Mmm..."

"Told you," she said, wrapping her arms around him again. "I've wanted you so much, baby."

He wrapped his arms around her too, holding her as he gave her a long, deep kiss. She returned it, running her fingers through his hair, her hips rocking gently as he moved against her. When his erection brushed against her clit, each time, she tensed and relaxed, the slick hollow between her thighs tender and aching for him.

"Here," he murmured, rolling over with her, and she stayed tight against him, grinding her hips against his, pressing kisses against his face, his neck. He brought her up to kiss her again, one hand stroking up and down her back.

"Yes," she whispered. "Oh God... oh _God_..."

She kept rubbing against him, her arousal growing and growing, and though she wanted him inside her, the stimulation was incredible. She began panting, sobbing quietly, and when her hips jerked as she began to reach orgasm, Ned rolled over with her again.

She cried out, holding him, forcing herself to gaze up at him instead of just tilting her head back and losing herself in the joy of her climax. His cock was already slick with her arousal and she shuddered when he began to move inside her; her inner flesh was so sensitive, so tender. Ned groaned as he moved deep, so wonderfully deep, and when he rubbed against her clit again she sobbed, bucking, clenching against him.

"Nan," he panted. "Oh, baby, you feel so good..."

She nodded, her eyes pricking with tears. "More," she moaned, and when he brushed his thumb over her nipple, Nancy sobbed again, overwhelmed.

He pulled out and slowly slid inside her again, and she blinked up at him, a flush rising in her cheeks. "I love you," he whispered.

She reached for him, and he began to move inside her in deliberate, even thrusts, rubbing and fondling her clit until she arched under him. "Oh _God_ ," she sobbed. "I love you, baby..."

When her hips jerked, when she began to gasp and buck under him, she tipped her head back and sobbed brokenly. He groaned softly as he shifted, and the change in his angle made her cry out. She was so incredibly slick, and waves of intense pleasure broke over her as he rode her through her orgasm.

He whispered her name as his hips bucked against hers, and all she could hear was her heart pounding, both of them gasping for breath, as he slumped against her. She was so hot, and she clung to him, trembling at all of it: the intensity of her climax, the feel of his breath against her temple, the intimacy of his body inside hers. He was the only man she had ever felt this with, the only man she had ever loved this way, and it had been so long.

Neither of them seemed to feel like moving. Slowly she relaxed, and when he rolled onto his side, pulling her with him, she nestled against him immediately. "Sweetheart," Ned murmured, stroking his fingertips idly up and down her back.

She nuzzled against him, brushing a kiss against his neck. "So good," she whispered, and when he gently slid out of her, she tensed and relaxed again. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too."

She kissed him again. "I guess I'm yours now." When he raised his eyebrows, she smiled. "You paid for me."

Ned didn't return her smile; he reached up and brushed away the damp strands of hair that clung to her cheeks, then stroked her skin as he gazed into her eyes. "You're priceless," he whispered. "No amount of money in the world is enough. I'm yours, Nan, and I always will be."

She boosted herself and gave him a long, long sweet kiss. "And I will always be yours," she whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally posted elsewhere. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving feedback!


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